Re: Correct usage of "quadrants"

[Helen Hegelheimer <hxh -at- FORMTEK -dot- COM>]

According to our inhouse French speaking engineer - "the French would
tend to use the *strict* definition of quadrant since their language is
more closely tied to latin".  Her casual comment is "quadrant means
four regardless of how you count" :)

I tend to agree - Quadrant seems to be one of those words we (american
speaking) have misused to the point of being accepted as "any specific area".
I would be as concerned as you about misuse of a word that is being
translated.

Helen Hegelheimer
Lead Technical Writer
Formtek, Palo Alto, CA
hxh -at- formtek -dot- com


>  Part 2: I'm going to be translating this from the original
>  French, and the author insists that "quadrant" is more
>  flexible in French than in English (and thus extends to
>  situations in which the area isn't divided into four
>  parts). I don't buy this, and I'd like to change the French
>  too. Can any French techwhirlers rule on this?

>  --Geoff Hart    @8^{)}
>  geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

>  Disclaimer: If I didn't commit it in print in one of our
>  reports, it don't represent FERIC's opinion.